People with outstanding unemployment claims can now schedule in-person appointments at one-stop career centers across the state. Show Lawmakers have repeatedly called on the department to launch in-person appointments to help residents struggling to get their benefits. For over two years, legislators said their offices have been inundated with complaints from residents who say their claims are in limbo. Previously, in-person appointments were only available if initiated by the Department of Labor. Since March, labor officials have been selecting claimants with long-standing claim issues for in-person appointments with unemployment agents. Now that the claimants who have been waiting the longest to resolve their outstanding issues have been given a chance for in-person appointments, the system is now open to any claimant. Department of Labor Angela Delli-Santi said in a statement to the New Jersey Monitor that the department’s commissioner, Robert Asaro-Angelo, thought this was the “fairest, most equitable process.” Since the Labor Department began reaching out to claimants in March, more than 22,000 appointments have been scheduled, including 4,800 in July, she said. Roughly 1,740 half-hour appointments are available per week at any of the dozen one-stop career centers in the state. Appointments can be made between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. In-person appointments won’t help with claimants who filed appeals and are awaiting their hearing date, or for people who haven’t completed identity verifications. The self-scheduling was soft-launched this month to ensure the agents at career centers could handle the volume of appointments, test the timeframe agents need to work with claimants, and be sure people can be seen quickly, Delli-Santi said. State officials maintain the online system remains the most efficient way to file for benefits, but Delli-Santi said they understand “not everyone has the technology, the internet access, or the skills to navigate the system without assistance from one of our agents.” Jobless claims surged at the start of the pandemic, leading to a backlog of claims and major delays in people receiving their benefits, though the overwhelming majority have been resolved now. A bill on Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk would require in-person appointments to be available for workers who need help with ID verification, filing a claim, or filing an appeal, and for people who need information on their claim. It would also require the Department of Labor to respond to questions about claims within three weeks. Murphy hasn’t signaled if he will veto or sign the bill. “Our mission has been — and continues to be — to get the most benefits to the most eligible claimants as quickly as possible,” Delli-Santi said. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Below you will find unemployment resources which may be helpful in addressing your issues and questions. NEW EMAIL REPORTING FORM The NJ DOL has a new tool you can use to email the Unemployment Division with inquiries
or tickets that have an unresolved issue: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/help/contact-us/index.shtml#email SELF-SERVICE TOOLS You can check the status of your claim online and reset your PIN online with NJ DOL here: https://lwdwebpt.dol.state.nj.us/ClaimStatus/claimStatus.htm ELIGIBILITY FOR KEY BENEFITS Below you will find links to a NJ DOL graphic and website outlining eligibility for unemployment, family leave, earned sick leave and temporary disability under different COVID-19 related scenarios. https://www.nj.gov/labor/assets/PDFs/COVID-19%20SCENARIOS.pdf https://www.nj.gov/labor/worker-protections/earnedsick/covid.shtml WEEKLY CERTIFICATION QUESTIONS AND SCHEDULE The NJ DOL website has the following instructions on how to answer the questions when certifying for weekly benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/covidinstructions.shtml In addition, below is a link to the NJ DOL schedule for when you can certify for benefits during the week, depending on the last four digits of your social security number: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/schedule.shtml FAQs FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE & PUA The American Rescue Plan extends the Federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefit of $300/week, including both the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, through September 6. Below are links to a Frequently Asked Questions page from NJ DOL that answers common questions about Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the newly created Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programs, and how they work during the COVID-19 pandemic (this is updated often, so check regularly): https://www.nj.gov/labor/worker-protections/earnedsick/covidFAQ.shtml https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/assets/pdfs/NJWorkersFAQs.pdf NEW JERSEY'S COMMITMENT TO BACK PAY NJ DOL has stated in the following document, under question #11: "We're committed to ensuring that everyone receives their benefits during this crisis. You will not lose a day's benefits as all claims will be backdated to your first day of employment loss." https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/assets/pdfs/NJWorkersFAQs.pdf IF YOU GET THE ERROR "YOUR CLAIM IS NOT PAYABLE AT THIS TIME" WHEN CERTIFYING There are a number of reasons that you may get this error message, but one of the more common reasons is because of the way one or more of the seven weekly certification questions was answered. The NJ DOL has provided this guide on how to certify for benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure you get your benefits in the fastest way possible: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/covidinstructions.shtml If you believe the reason you have received this error is due to your answers to the weekly certification - your application is likely flagged for review by an unemployment technician. You may want to email the Unemployment Division here: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/help/contact-us/index.shtml#email IF YOUR UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIM IS PENDING A pending claim means your initial application is awaiting review by a member of the Unemployment Division's staff. You should continue to check on the website each day to see if the claim status has changed to FILED. You should also continue to check your postal mail and e-mail and watch your phone for calls in case someone from NJ DOL reaches out for additional information regarding your claim. Don't forget to check your e-mail SPAM or JUNK folder. INFORMATION ON THE 13 WEEK EXTENSION Are you currently receiving or have applied for unemployment benefits? If yes, no action is required for the 13 week extension. The 13-week extension will be automatically available to you after your current balance is exhausted. Otherwise, read the NJ DOL FAQ here: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/covidFAQ.shtml#600 PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCEPANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM The State of New Jersey is reaching out to claimants individually regarding their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims. PUA is the program for those who are self-employed, gig economy workers, those who do not have sufficient work history for a normal unemployment claim, clergy and those working for religious organizations, and others who may not normally be entitled to traditional unemployment insurance -- subject to certain eligibility criteria. If you have been contacted by the NJ DOL to begin certifying for PUA benefits, please see the detailed instructions here: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/puainstructions.shtml The NJ DOL is reaching out to each claimant individually once their PUA claim is ready to be paid. Please see this State of NJ press release for more information: https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200429b.shtml IF YOU ARE SELF-EMPLOYED AND HAVE NOT FILED A CLAIM You can file a claim now - please review the two documents found at the link below prior to applying; one document answers most common questions and another walks you through the application step by step with guidance on how to answer the questions as a self-employed individual. Please note that there is not a separate application for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance at this time - all filers must start with the application for normal unemployment. https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/independentcontractors.shtml FOR MORE GENERAL INFORMATION More information can be found on the following New Jersey websites: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/ EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Finally, the state has a jobs portal with information about jobs that have opened up since the start of the pandemic, filling critical roles. There may be some that you are interested in: https://jobs.covid19.nj.gov/index.html How do I speak to a live person at NJ unemployment?Customer service agents at the numbers below can accept your Unemployment Insurance claim over the phone:. North New Jersey: 201-601-4100.. Central New Jersey: 732-761-2020.. South New Jersey: 856-507-2340.. Out-of-state claims: 888-795-6672 (you must call from a phone with an out-of-state area code). New Jersey Relay: 7-1-1.. How do I contact NJ DOL?Phone: (609) 292-9464. Fax: (609) 633-8591. Email: [email protected].
Can you walk into an unemployment office in New Jersey?I don't know that it shortens the resolution of the claim,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at his last coronavirus briefing on Friday. You won't be able to just call to set up an appointment, you will have to wait for the office to reach out to you and no walk-ins will be welcomed.
What time does the NJ unemployment call center open?Call a Reemployment Call Center.
They're open weekdays (excluding holidays) from 8AM to 3:30PM.
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New jersey department of labor unemployment insurance office
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